This tea is a nice, light sheng Pu-erh that is a great introduction to this category of tea.
We have recently purchased an assortment of loose-leaf sheng Pu-er from various production areas because we think that these teas should become more well-known and be more available. Sheng Pu-erh offers the opportunity to really taste the essence of the tea trees and the place (terroir) without processing technique getting in the way and adding to the taste of the leaf.
If you are a fan of Chinese white tea, light oolongs such as Bai Hao, or soft and creamy Yunnan black teas, sheng Pu-erh would be a great tasting light tasting tea addition to your repertoire of tastes.
Sheng Pu-erh has many tastes derived from the location of the tea forest (terroir), the age of the tea trees, etc. Essentially loose-leaf sheng Pu-erh has a sweet, woodsy; forest-clean flavor and mild aroma. It is perfectly lovely to drink this tea now or you can put some aside to age and strengthen over time.
Da Qing Shan is located in the Mengku tea harvesting area. This place produces tea from genetically unique varieties of old tea trees that have been growing here for the past 300 years, some of which are cultivars unique to this area and some of which are descended from Camellia assamica.
This area is not as well known as other Pu-erh producing areas, and the area is small, so their production falls under the radar of large tea buyers. But the unadulterated tea trees (no pesticides or fertilizers) are kept in prime condition by villagers, and the slow growth of the tea trees results in mineral-rich leaf which yields tea with a deep aftertaste. This tea is known locally as da shu (big tree tea.)
This tea has a have a light aroma, a simple, woodsy aroma and a nice, light pale-pink blush color in the cup. But over steeping can turn this tea pithy and bitter.
Note:
Sheng Pu-erh is also known as ‘un-cooked’ or ‘raw’ Pu-erh. It is the un-fermented version of Pu-erh.
Sheng Pu-erh is un-fermented tea when it is young but microbial activity on the leaf will allow the tea to slowly ferment over time when the tea is kept under good storage conditions. Sheng Pu-erh can be drunk now or stored for years to allow this slow microbial transformation of the tea to turn the tea into something rich and full. Similar to young wines that will, over time, transform into much more substantial wines, sheng Pu-erh is prized by collectors and tea enthusiasts for this ability to age and improve over time.
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